When a decision was announced that St. Columba's Church of Ireland National School was due to close in 1991, parents of children attending the school decided to work together to create a new National Primary School on the site to be known as Ranelagh Multi-Denominational National School. (R.M.D.S). A school which would be:
In May 1988, in view of the planned closure, a public meeting was held at which the Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School Association, (R.M.D.S.A.), was formed, with the aim of becoming patron of the proposed school. The Church of Ireland was supportive and agreed to transfer its title to the site and its buildings to the R.M.D.S.A. The Association negotiated with the Department of Education for recognition of the new school. In September 1988, the former two teacher school was expanded to three teachers. Children were enrolled in the school on the understanding that, rather than being closed, it would be transformed into a Multi-Denominational school. After prolonged negotiations, the Department of Education in December 1989 granted provisional recognition to the school backdated to September 1988.
The school has continued to develop since then, with phased increases in enrolment and staff numbers. We now have an administrative principal, nine mainstream teachers, four resource teachers and three special needs assistants. We also employ a part time classroom assistant .
Until 1997, the school was housed in a collection of buildings - a prefab, a caretaker's house and a former church hall. In late September 1993, we received the eagerly awaited favourable reply from the Department of Education. The Department stated that it "accepts in principle that there is no option in relation to the long term accommodation requirements of your school, but to provide a new purpose built school premises. The feasibility of providing the new school building on the site, occupied at present by your temporary premises, which you own, will be investigated at an early date".
On December 23rd 1993, we received a letter from the Department of Education confirming our inclusion in the 1994 phased building programme. Following much assiduous work, assisted greatly by local politicians, we secured a temporary premises in the Royal Hospital, Donnybrook, for the school year 1997-98.
Building finally began on September 1st 1997 and on September 1st 1998, we returned to Ranelagh to our splendid new building.
In September 2007 we celebrated another milestone in our development when an extension to the building was completed. The extra space, which comprises two teaching rooms, a multi purpose space (An Seomra Spraoi), a meeting room, a new staffroom and greatly enhanced office facilities, enables us to enhance our provision across the curriculum and to provide school age child care facilities.
